netsegmenter

Netsegmenter is a software tool intended for network administrators to plan, implement, and validate network segmentation. It helps translate security and operational requirements into concrete segmentation schemes for enterprise networks, data centers, and cloud environments.

Its analysis combines network telemetry, topology information, and policy constraints to build a representation of the network as a graph. The tool applies clustering and graph-partitioning algorithms, along with flow-based heuristics, to identify candidate boundaries between segments such as subnets, VLANs, or microsegments, while preserving connectivity where needed.

Netsegmenter can operate as a standalone application or as part of larger orchestration environments. It supports exporting segmentation artifacts in formats suitable for firewalls, SDN controllers, or VLAN configuration, and can integrate with telemetry sources such as NetFlow, IPFIX, sFlow, SNMP, and L2/L3 topology discovery. It also offers policy validation and change impact analysis.

Key features include automated segmentation recommendations, policy-aware constraint checking, security risk scoring, visualization of segment boundaries, and rollback or simulation modes to assess proposed changes before deployment.

Typical deployments include data centers seeking microsegmentation, campus networks implementing zone-based access control, and cloud environments requiring consistent policy enforcement across layers. It can assist with compliance efforts by documenting segmentation decisions and lineage.

Limitations include reliance on data quality from telemetry sources, potential misconfigurations if data are incomplete, and the need for careful change management in dynamic networks. As with any segmentation tool, results should be reviewed by network engineers to align with operational requirements.